The Japanese Concept ‘Ikigai’ – Helping You Discover Your Purpose in Life

What is Ikigai?

There is no direct translation in to English for the Japanese word ikigai (pronounced ee-kee-gah-ee). Iki refers to “life” and kai roughly meaning “the realisation of what one expects and hopes for.” It roughly means the “a reason for being“, “the joy or goal for living” or “the reason for which you get up in the morning.” In a nutshell, it encompasses the idea that happiness and satisfaction in life is about more than a fancy job title or the money you earn.

It’s easiest to think about ikiagi as an intersection of the following:

What you love (your passion)

What you are good at (your profession)

What the world needs (your mission)

What the world can pay you for (your vocation)

Want to Discover Your Ikigai?

To help you discover your Ikigai, you can ask yourself the following four questions –